. >> forget the fiscal cliff. how about a container cliff and what it may do to the economy. time's running short and a standoff between long shoreman union workers and companies could cripple the nation. unless they reach a deal they plan to strike this weekend. we reached out but haven't heard back yet. steve moore is here with us. if the strike happens, some estimates say $1 billion per day hit to the economy. >> yeah, there's no question. if you -- you used the right word, cripple the economy. the ports in this country are the backbone of our trade, both export and imports and i've read estimates of $100 billion or more comes in and out. so it cook devastating, and reverberate throughout the economy. retailers, wholesalers. food distributors, everybody would be affected by the strike if it goes forward. >> exactly what do the unions want and what is management willing to do? how far apart are the two groups? >> it's interesting. they're not really -- normally in a wage dispute with the union,ettes it's about wages and benefits but in this case it's not. what the unions ar